In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

He controlled the fire with his bare hands and directly melted flammable material like 'carbon', leaving everyone dumbfounded.

Soon, as the flames dissipated, the crimson liquid, resembling magma, gradually cooled.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the originally pitch-black coal had transformed into transparent, colorless crystals.

“．‖ Glazed glass?”

"crystal?"

Everyone stared in disbelief at the colorless crystal in the air, their eyes filled with horror.

Unexpectedly, after altering the internal composition of the coal, it transformed into such a dazzling gem. However, Zhang Xiaoshan, holding the 'crystal,' looked at everyone and chuckled:

"The form of water is visible to the naked eye due to changes in temperature."

The transformation of this coal stems from the high-temperature purification of its internal elements and the compression of space, ultimately turning it into the gemstone before our eyes.

However, it is not the glass or crystal that everyone knows, but a different substance—

Diamond!

In other words, carbon and diamond are essentially composed of the same element.

Coal is loose and contains many impurities, while diamonds are completely different things after being compressed by space and refined at high temperatures.

(Good!) Moreover, this is merely a basic understanding of the essence of all things; the truly profound truth lies in life itself!

life?

Coal and diamonds are inanimate objects, while life is alive.

For a moment, the entire classroom fell silent.

At this moment, everyone felt that if they continued to explore along this dead end, they might actually be able to glimpse another world, a civilization completely different from the immortal culture.

Clang! Clang! Clang...

At that moment, the bronze bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class. Amidst the contemplation of the others, Zhang Xiaoshan left the large classroom.

The impact of this lesson was enormous, even alarming the Qin Emperor.

Because of Zhang Xiaoshan's final hint: the essence of all things—life!

What is the essence of life? Perhaps by thoroughly understanding it, one can realize their dream of immortality.

Therefore, Qin Shi Huang decided to pursue a two-pronged approach, increasing investment in the sorcerer's academy. At least what Zhang Xiaoshan revealed was all good stuff.

Chapter 117 The Birth of the Divine Monkey and the Fangtian Halberd

Eastward Victory Divine Land, Aolai Kingdom!

As the Martial Lord of the Empire, Chonglou was unlike the Martial Lord Wang Jian, who was like Lian Po, who was old and questioned whether he could still eat.

At the height of his power, Chonglou was a formidable general of the empire. Even after unifying the six kingdoms, he did not stop his conquests but continued to fight in all directions.

He cultivates the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique, which allows him to increase his experience through combat.

Otherwise, as the embodiment of "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones", Chonglou could not be too far from his original body.

It was also through his battles and the tempering of his body with murderous aura that Chonglou was able to act independently, unaffected by his physical form. Perhaps once his training is complete, his profound skills will break through to a new level.

Just as Sun Wukong underwent body tempering in the alchemical furnace, everyone's path is different, and their cultivation methods are also different.

Chonglou condensed the body of an ancient god and demon with blood and evil energy, so naturally his cultivation of profound skills also mainly relied on evil energy.

At this moment, the capital city of Aolai Kingdom was, unsurprisingly, leveled by Chonglou.

Qin Shi Huang's ambition had expanded from unifying the six kingdoms to unifying the entire land of China, and then he planned to expand beyond the Southern Continent to conquer the Western Continent...

Therefore, Aolai Kingdom was utterly vulnerable to the Black Dragon Cavalry of the Qin Empire.

With just one charge, the 100,000-strong army collapsed.

With a single cannon shot, the 903 city gate shattered, and the unstoppable charge of the cavalry, with whips spurred on, marked the fall of Aolai Kingdom.

Chonglou looked at the palace under control, where a group of princes and nobles were being escorted onto prison carts.

The Qin Dynasty did not kill prisoners of war; all the royal women and concubines were to be sent to Xianyang.

In fact, Chonglou could have taken it upon himself to distribute the items to his subordinates.

After all, Qin Shi Huang had taken in women from the six states, and his harem was already overflowing.

In addition, Qin Shi Huang was extremely ambitious and had no interest in the pleasure quarters, so sending too many women would be a waste.

But Chonglou knew that if these women were distributed among the soldiers, they would become arrogant and dissolute, which would inevitably cause chaos in the army and have unimaginable consequences.

It should be noted that conquering Aolai Kingdom is only a small step.

The Eastern Continent is vast and rich in resources. Aolai Kingdom is located in a remote corner, and there are many other small countries like it. They cannot stop their conquests.

However, when Chonglou looked eastward, he saw the ancestral vein of the Ten Continents—Huaguo Mountain.

He knew that this was the world of Journey to the West.

Therefore, Huaguo Mountain was almost a forbidden area; at least before the monkey was born, it was an absolute forbidden zone in Zhang Xiaoshan's mind.

Even after Zhang Xiaoshan descended to the mortal realm, he suppressed his curiosity and did not investigate further.

As the young incarnation of Zhang Xiaoshan's "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones," Chonglou's curiosity was piqued upon arriving here.

Even more subtly, a peculiar attraction compelled him to go and investigate.

Moreover, having cultivated the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique, Chonglou's strength at this point might not be weaker than that of Sun Wukong after he had mastered his skills.

Furthermore, since the main body is not present, his arrival as an avatar will not attract much attention from above.

Since the money has already been collected here, there shouldn't be any major problem with him going to take a look, right?

With that thought in mind, Chonglou rode his black dragon horse toward Flower Fruit Mountain.

According to calculations by later generations, the monkey should have been born before the Warring States period, at the end of the Spring and Autumn period, and was suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain during Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han Dynasty.

Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han dynasty marked the beginning of a new era, while the monkey spent three hundred years on Flower Fruit Mountain before learning his skills.

Learning skills, causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace, being placed in the alchemy furnace, another one or two hundred years passed, and five hundred years before that was the end of the Spring and Autumn Period.

However, this is a world of immortals and heroes. If we follow this timeline, Lao Tzu would have only just attained enlightenment, and Shakyamuni would have only just founded Buddhism. Therefore, Zhang Xiaoshan knew that this was completely unrelated to the original history.

Soon, Chonglou arrived at Flower Fruit Mountain, the ancestral home of the Ten Meridians.

Ancient trees, weathered and ancient, require dozens of people to encircle their trunks; vines, strong and vigorous, blanket the forest like swings; craggy rocks abound, home to rare birds and animals…

The old roots rise and fall like a swimming dragon, and the mountain stream is cut off like a crouching white tiger.

At this moment, Chonglou rode his black dragon steed, traversing the mountains and fields as if walking on flat ground.

Soon, Chonglou was drawn by the rushing water, and the deep, resonant sound, like a great bell, led him to a point that was foreshadowed in Journey to the West—(bjca)—

Water Curtain Cave!

The waterfall cascades down like a silver river falling, filling the air with mist.

Behind the waterfall, a dark area can be vaguely seen hidden within—this is the Water Curtain Cave.

drive!

The black steed galloped away, its four hooves pounding the ground before it leaped into the distance and disappeared behind the waterfall.

Inside the stone cave, the space was unusually empty. Crossing the stone bridge, one found neatly arranged tables and chairs, with a treasure placed on one of the stone tables.

Vajra pestle?

Zhang Xiaoshan's expression froze as he looked at the magical artifacts on the table.

The Vajra Pestle is a Buddhist ritual implement. Its sudden appearance here is a way of telling Zhang Xiaoshan that this is their Buddhist territory.

He also warned Zhang Xiaoshan not to interfere in the matter.

After all, as Zhang Xiaoshan's clone, Chonglou was also a true disciple of the Xuanmen sect, and the Buddhist masters who were secretly watching and protecting him dared not go too far.

If other demons were to accidentally wander in, they would likely be subdued or killed.

Since there were Buddhist masters guarding this place, Chonglou immediately abandoned his desire to explore.

So he bowed respectfully and left the Water Curtain Cave.

Sure enough, the Journey to the West had been arranged in advance, and the place where the monkey lived was already guarded by Buddhist masters.

boom!

Just as Chonglou was about to leave, a sudden thunderous roar erupted, followed by a beam of golden light shooting into the sky.

As Chonglou watched, a strange rock on the mountaintop suddenly burst open, and a divine monkey emerged from it.

At the same time, a golden halberd also appeared.

The stone monkey and the divine halberd parted ways at birth, and the divine halberd fell directly into Chonglou's hands.

That faint, mysterious force of attraction was none other than the golden divine halberd before him, and once he held it, it was as if divinely aided, allowing him to wield it with complete ease.

Seeing this, even the Buddhist masters who were secretly observing couldn't help but show envy.

If it were anyone else, he might have just stepped forward and snatched it.

But this person is a true disciple of the Dao Ancestor. Since it happened to be the right time, and the divine halberd is choosing its master, he is clearly the one destined for this divine halberd.

If one were to form a karmic bond with the other party here, it would mean going against the Supreme One's lineage.

Especially now that the monkey has just been born, if the Supreme Taoist Ancestor were to scheme against them, the Buddhist sect would suffer a huge loss.

Therefore, for the sake of the greater Buddhist cause, they could only watch as the other party carried the precious treasure away.

On the contrary, the birth of the stone monkey surprised Chonglou greatly.

Unexpectedly, his arrival coincided with the birth of the Divine Marquis, and the great calamity of the Journey to the West was about to begin.

According to the timeline, the calamity will begin a thousand years from now; even if the Monkey King wreaks havoc in the Heavenly Palace, it will be at least three hundred years from now, by which time he will be no threat at all.

Moreover, there was no need for him to get involved in the monkey-playing game by a group of powerful figures in the celestial realm.

With this in mind, Chonglou, wielding his divine halberd, left Flower Fruit Mountain.

Unexpectedly, his appearance actually caused a change in the situation, and he gained a mysterious divine halberd, which was of a high level, at least a primordial spiritual treasure.

Such a treasure is absolutely innocent; possessing it is a crime.

Chapter 118 The Divine Halberd That Changed the Fate

Divine Halberd!

The name of this halberd is simply the word "God," and it is a top-grade innate spiritual treasure.

In terms of quality, this Fangtian Halberd absolutely deserves the name 'Divine Halberd'.

It is a top-grade innate spiritual treasure, on par with the Taiqing Divine Talisman, and is an absolute treasure in the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Especially since this is a weapon, not a magic weapon.

The name "Divine Halberd" is truly fitting.

In terms of power, the Divine Halberd lived up to expectations. Although it did not have the concept of weighing 5,400 or 18,000 jin, the Divine Halberd was invincible and indestructible.

Most importantly, the Divine Halberd is a counter to the Indestructible Body!

More precisely, it's about restraining Sun Wukong. Perhaps it's a matter of origin, but the feeling Chonglou gets from the Divine Halberd is that it was created entirely to restrain the monkey.

A divine halberd was forged within the five-colored stone, and a spark of spiritual light gave birth to its divine nature.

The divine halberd contains boundless power, its blade is incomparably sharp, like the ancestral sword of the Divine Land, a being capable of slaying gods.

Although this is not the legendary God-Slaying Spear, it can still split mountains and seas, cleave the heavens, and break through the nine netherworlds. It can be said that even at the Heavenly Venerable level, this divine halberd is an absolute divine weapon.

At this moment, the divine halberd recognized Chonglou as its master because of Zhang Xiaoshan's arrival and the karmic connection formed with the goddess Nuwa.

This is also the reason that Zhang Xiaoshan could think of.

In the world of Shenzhou, his connection with the lineage of Nuwa is significant.

Being a descendant of Nuwa and having karmic ties with Youdu are nothing compared to Zhang Xiaoshan's spiritual connection with Nuwa.

Although this Nuwa is not that Nuwa, the sage has countless incarnations, and a single thought can encompass three thousand great worlds.

Once you are burdened with karma, you may not be able to escape their eyes.